WWE will honor Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 42, son says

Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan will be honored at WrestleMania 42, his son Nick told USA TODAY Sports.

The 2026 edition of WWE’s biggest event of the year will be the first since Hogan’s death in July 2025.

“WWE is just so incredible,” Nick Hogan said. “They're just such phenomenal people there, and they have so much love for my dad and my family, and they are doing some really special stuff this year to honor him and to honor his legacy.”

Nick Hogan didn’t specify how WWE will pay tribute to his dad, but it is confirmed the WWE Hall of Famer will be inducted once more, this time for an “immortal moment” — his match with Andre the Giant for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 3. The Hall of Fame class typically gets recognized during WrestleMania.

USA TODAY Sports reached out to WWE for more information.

Hulk Hogan greets the crowd during the WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on Nov. 2, 2018.

Hulk Hogan died at the age of 71 after suffering cardiac arrest. WWE honored him immediately after his death with a 10-bell salute, tribute videos and words from current stars on the major impact he had on wrestling.

His final appearance with the company came six months before his death, in January 2025 in the Netflix debut of Monday Night Raw. However, it was an infamous appearance; he was heavily booed by the crowd as he appeared and spoke.

Despite the controversy that surrounded Hogan − especially in the later years of his life, which hurt his legacy − he was monumental in the building of WrestleMania, an event that catapulted wrestling to the mainstream and put WWE at the forefront of the industry. He headlined the first one in 1985 with a tag team match with Mr. T against Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper, which featured Muhammad Ali as a special guest referee.

Hogan was in the main event of the first three WrestleManias, and eight of the first nine editions. He finished his career with 12 total matches in the event.

“Seeing how much he loved being there, and the perspective he had on building that with Vince (McMahon) from the ground up, and seeing what it's turned into today, and being able to experience that by his side was something really special,” Nick Hogan said.

Nick Hogan said he will be in Las Vegas for WrestleMania in his dad’s honor, as he mentioned his dad made an effort every year to attend the show. He added he “can't wait for everyone to see what the WWE has planned.”

“As my dad would say, Hulkamania will live forever,” he said. “I firmly believe that the experience people are going to have this year at WrestleMania is going to feel like he is there in person, and I know he'll be there in spirit.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hulk Hogan will be honored at WWE WrestleMania 42, son says